CAREERS AT HER CAMPUS MEDIA

Interview Prep Guide

Thank you for your interest in working at Her Campus Media! This guide is intended to ensure every candidate is as prepared as possible for the interview process with insight on what to expect through it all. Please refer to this guide for an overview of our hiring and interview process, practices, and what we look for in applications.

We use a structured hiring process in the hopes of assessing every candidate in an equitable way. Through our process, you will be evaluated on your core skills and our values to assess if Her Campus Media is a place where you may thrive in your career.

Steps in our hiring and interview process

Candidates are generally interviewed on a rolling basis. This means there may be candidates who are at different stages of the interview process, and thus your process may be “on pause” briefly while other candidates catch up.

1. Candidates apply on SmartRecruiters

SmartRecruiters is our applicant tracking system. Please submit your official job application through SmartRecruiters by clicking the green “I’m interested” button on a job listing. You will have an opportunity to upload your resume and complete your application on the website. We have a strong preference for applications with cover letters, which you can submit via the “Message to Hiring Manager” or “Additional attachments” field. Due to the volume of applications we receive, you may not hear from us after your application is reviewed if we assess that the role isn’t the right fit for you at this time.

2. Phone Screen

Candidates who are offered a phone screen can expect a 15-30 minute phone call with the hiring manager. The purpose of the phone screen is to:

  • Get to know you and your background briefly

  • Align on salary expectations, start date, and availability

  • Provide more detail on the role and hiring process

  • Answer any questions you have—so feel free to come prepared with those!

3. Video Interviews with Hiring Team

Candidates who advance past the phone screen will go through a handful of 30-60 minute video interviews with the hiring team, conducted via Google Meet. The hiring team varies per team but generally includes your potential direct supervisor, the team’s department head, the co-founder the department ladders up to, and any other relevant team members, for a total of approximately 2-5 individuals. Some interviews will be one-on-one, and some will be group interviews. The purpose of the video interviews is to:

  • Get to know you more in-depth and the specifics of your past experience and relevant skills you’d bring to the role—use this opportunity to show us why you are the perfect candidate for the role!

  • Give you more background on our company, team, the specific role and responsibilities, company culture, values, and some traits we see in successful employees at Her Campus Media

  • If applicable, review any application materials relevant to the hiring process (e.g., work product test, mock pitch)

  • Answer any questions you have—so feel free to come prepared with those!

3b. Work Product Test

Certain roles at Her Campus Media may require a Work Product Test to be completed by the candidate before the final round or, for some roles, between the initial interview and the other interviews out of respect for time on both sides in case the skills/approach do not turn out to be a fit. The Work Product Test will be something that can be completed within a few days, requiring focused but not overly extensive effort, and is as much an opportunity for you to gauge whether you would enjoy the types of work, projects, and challenges you would encounter in the role here as it is for us to gauge your abilities and fit. Some of the roles requiring work product tests include:

  • Editorial roles: demonstrate your editorial capabilities through a series of short assignments

  • Design roles: demonstrate your digital design skills through two work samples

  • Engineering roles: talk through a live code test/whiteboarding exercise

  • Business Development roles: prep a sales deck and give a live mock pitch

  • Integrated Marketing roles: put together a mock campaign overview deck

4. Reference Check

We conduct reference checks on all applicants. You will be asked to provide 2-3 references, whom your hiring manager will personally call or email. Start thinking of individuals who can speak to, amongst other things, your ability to work on a team, capabilities, and work product. We prefer references from former direct supervisors if possible, and we prefer references with whom you worked recently.

How best to prepare

We use Google Meet for video interviews. We encourage you to get familiar with this software prior to your interview. Test your video (webcam) and audio (microphone/speakers/headphones) settings, as well as internet connection so you feel comfortable with the technology being used. Select a quiet setting where you can engage in the interview without distractions. Be yourself and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine! We value diverse experiences and individuals.

Come prepared to talk about your past experience and projects, and workshop hypothetical scenarios on the fly. We may ask you for your take on Her Campus Media’s prior work (client campaigns, editorial features, social media, etc.) and get your ideas for the area you would be working in, so don’t be afraid to show off your knowledge and passion. You’ll also have time to ask us any questions you have about the role, team, and company, so ask away!